Contrary to popular belief, utility executives are ramping up for “big data” in a “big way.” This industry, which historically focused on operational technologies like pole-mounted hardware, is making a big shift to information technologies to support initiatives such as distribution optimization and fraud detection. We recently invited senior utility
Did you ever experience a time where you hear or see the same thing over and over again? Whether you chalk it up to coincidence, immersion or saturation, you clearly start seeing the same ideas or topics discussed in multiple places. Lately, I have been hearing about the topic of
Collecting data quickly and efficiently is a focus for businesses regardless of their size. For small and mid-sized businesses, successfully managing data without being a burden on an understaffed and overworked IT department can be an added challenge. Plus, there is the added responsibility of making sure ACCURATE data is
I remarked in an earlier post (“BI and Better Decisions”) that, prior to joining SAS, while I understood analytics and performance management just fine, the phrase ‘business intelligence’ was not in my vocabulary”. Turns out I’m not the only finance professional so inflicted. I was invited last week to give a
Math and analytics are back “in vogue,” says Kathy Lange, member of the Americas Business Analytics practice at SAS. Since she was little, Kathy has seen the world as one big math problem, and her devotion to mathematics is overwhelmingly clear in this lively interview. Read on below, and be
Money. The enabler of all economic activity. The root of all evil. Whatever soubriquet you attribute to it, its nature and substance are becoming the topic of a vigorous debate as of late. A topic that was thought to have been fully settled over half a century ago and relegated
Today I want to focus on geographic visualizations in the SAS Visual Analytics Explorer. Geography-based data can be explored and visualized in a variety of ways. Tables, crosstabs, tree maps, bar charts can all be used, but displaying the information on a geographical map is often the most meaningful way
Last week in my post, Revenue Management vs. Price Optimization: Part One, I explored the practice of practice of hospitality revenue management, its origins in the airlines and how it was changed for use in the hospitality industry. This week I will explore how price optimization has evolved and how
Startups are quickly becoming the lifeblood of new business in this country and around the world. A vast array of new business ideas and ventures are being generated at a blistering pace by talented entrepreneurs. Throughout my experience within the small and mid-size business marketplace, I've often found that startups,
Intelligent systems are aware of the business environment and able to react to it, says Zubin Dowlaty. Smart sensors, check-ins, card swipes and big data of all types contribute to this fantastic yet realistic vision of streaming data that is processed immediately and used to automate business tasks and processes.
